After a contentious week with the arts community, President Donald Trump has decided to avoid more discord with those in performing arts fields by announcing he will not attend this year's Kennedy Center Honors.

The annual ceremony at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts celebrates the arts and awards performers for their lifetime contributions to the field. But after some of the honorees for the Dec. 3 ceremony said they would not attend a White House reception the night before, the Trump administration removed itself from the honors to avoid being a distraction.

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"The President and First Lady have decided not to participate in this year's activities to allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction," the White House said in a statement on Saturday. "First Lady Melania Trump, along with her husband President Donald J. Trump, extend their sincerest congratulations and well wishes to all of this year's recipients for their many accomplishments."

According to Broadway World, de Lavallade, Lear and Richie declined to attend the annual dinner and ceremony at the White House. amid a firestorm of criticism Trump has faced over his response to last weekend's violence in Charlottesville. A counter-protester was killed when a white nationalist ran a car into a crowd, and the president cast blame on "both sides" in the events.

The announcement came a day after most members of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities resigned. Two business panels were disbanded, as well, in response to the president's comments.